A loyal follower has asked us to pray for a dear friend who is so very sick with cancer. Val, thank you for the privilege of interceding in prayer for your friend. We will pray for god to strengthen her body and give her renewed strength to go the distance. We also pray for ultimate healing and give God the Glory!

Sharon

of

Dancing Thru Threads

Sharon has been going through cancer treatments that have left her battle weary. She is trying to do some hand stitching to focus her mind away from the side effects of chemo. She has PET scans soon to determine if the tumors have shrunk and/if more chemo is needed. After chemo she will have extensive radiation. Ladies, Sharon needs our prayers and encouragement!!! Go to her blog and leave her some encouragement.

If you know me personally then you probably have already heard the famous or should I say "infamous" Taco Bell Story. You will not want to miss this story. Only my sweet crazy little Mother could have actually said *this* with no idea whatsoever WHAT she had said. As a Reading Specialist in my former life, I conducted numerous reading intervention workshops all over the State of Alabama. believe it or not, I used the story as an example of how children can misread words by only looking at the beginning and ending of a word.

And That My Friends is as far as I'm going...you will have to tune in Thursday, May 3rd. for

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Welcome to all my loyal followers and NEW FACES! There has been a lot of company recently here at Grandmama's Stories. I Love Company and best of all I haven't even have to clean house before you stopped by. I do wish I could share a piece of sour cream pound cake and a cup of coffee with you.

Remember Those 40's/50's Kitchens?

This could very well have been my kitchen as a young child.

My favorite Kitchen/TV MOM?

not June Clever

nor Harriet Nelson

(even though I loved them both.)

It was DONNA REED.

Who remembers Donna Reed?...handing out those little paper sack lunch bags to the family as they came flying down the stairs and out the front door to begin their day. Perhaps you ladies outside the U.S. didn't have this sitcom on TV but it was my model for the ideal wife, mother, home, family, kids,

even her

KITCHEN.

Meet BERTHA...My Dress Form has her own name.

As in everything around this house, it has it's very own story.

One Monday night, I got a call around 9:00 p.m.

#1 Husband :

"The Auction is over and Bertha is coming home with me. She's riding in the back of the truck."

Gmama:

"Who's Bertha?" and you know I'm already in my Pajamas. Why are you bringing someone home this late at night?"

#1 Husband:

"I'm tellin' ya, you've wanted her for a long time. You're going to Love her! I"ll be home in a few minutes. Bye...Love ya."

#1 Husband pulls up in the Driveway after I've gone to the trouble of getting dressed, which means putting my "unmentionables" back on...you know the drill...and then I walk out to the driveway, the motion detector light comes on and THERE SHE IS!....BERTHA!! Standing in the back of a Pick-Up Truck. A Lovely Lady, she was..........

Oh I was giddy, I tell ya!! I had been looking for a dress form but they were all so expensive I couldn't afford one. Guess What #1 paid for BERTHA????

$10.00!!! and could have had it for $2.00 but he couldn't hear the auctioneer clearly and ended up bidding against himself!!!! LOL! I haven't let him live that one down!

ANYHOO...I Digress

One topic different from the 40's/50's era family is the topic of RECYCLING. Plastics and other man-made materials have created a whole new environmental problem. Donna Reed brought her groceries home in a paper bag, which I actually prefer! Re-usable bags are much more eco-friendly than plastic bags. If you want paper bags you have to specifically request the bagger use them. Those plastic bags can be like rabbits...they seem to multiply exponentially once they enter your house. I like to corral my bags in a cylindrical cloth bag elasticized a both ends. Most of you may have seen these at local craft fairs.

Here are a selection of fabrics all ready to be sewn up as Bag-Its for gifts!

Do you see a fabric selection you like?

I make TWO sizes

Short: 18"x 22" (fat quarter size)

Long: 18" x 27"

I knew I could make my own so I deconstructed an old Bag-It hanging in my laundry room (my favorite way to make a pattern) These little bag-its can hold a LOT of plastic bags!! A friend of mine keeps cloth rags in her bag. I LOVE MINE and try to have one for each season/holiday. They make great gifts!!

You can get fancy, use quilted material, add embellishments OR keep it simple.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Please Note: I am leaving up my Table Topper Post till Tuesday when I will be A Guest Poster on SEW WE QUILT with some cool Kitchen stuff!

Prayer Request Sunday (PRS) is at the bottom of this post and will return as the Main Feature Next Week!

You know I couldn't make a Table Topper without involving one or more of my FIVE Grandpeeps!

Geez, you'd think I'd be tired of the little buggers by now

But Nah!...

I got this idea from where else but my new favorite fun place

PINTEREST...

Embroider your Children/Grandchildren's Art work!!!!!

(Seriously, if you haven't begun *pinning* you are missing SO MUCH!)

MY Granddaughter drew me a picture and I simply traced it onto fabric. I then embroidered the picture exactly line for line, letter for letter, as she drew it! I'm in love and so is her mama but I won't give her this one!

Hmm??? sounds like some good gift ideas for the future!!??

The artistic drawings of a precious little 7 yr. old girl.

Then I thought I would show you some more "works in progress" for the Table Topper

Hmm???

Here is an orphan block that I actually use beside my sewing machine.

Doesn't it look all dressed up in it's little hanger?

Quilting is like keeping a Journal with all it's sentimental value.

Here is a series of pictures with 3 of the last blocks my mother pieced. She and I took a class together and due to her increasingly poor vision from macular degeneration, I ended up doing much of the 3 blocks myself. I would not, however, trade the wonderful time spent with my crazy precious little mama.

BTW, I have a story to tell from my mother's lips to your ears in honor of

Cinco de Mayo, May 5th.

So stay tuned for a real winner of a story!

These are the other tow blocks that I plan to incorporate into a table runner.

LOVELY AREN'T THEY?

I took a Dollar store Hankie and Embroidered the letter /M/

OOPS

Where did my mini quilt go?

it's been eaten by one of the

"blue dogs"

cousin to the Blue Men!

Oh no!! Blue Puppy is trapped!

HELP!

AAHHH! GOTCHA!! The culprit is found.

It's what happens when little boys play with their Grandmama's quilty "stuff"

I wish you could HEAR the sneaky little giggle that goes long with this picture.

So there is my contribution to

Spring Is In The Air Blog Hop

My SPRING BLOG HOP GIVE-AWAY

Who would like a Spring Fat Quarter ShopGift Certificate for

$25

so you can make your very own Mini Quilt?

(Make SURE I have a way to contact you, No-Reply Bloggers are out of luck unless they leave an email address in their comment)

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

We have TWO wonderful Praise Reports this week

BABY MAX HAD A BIG WELCOME HOME PARTY FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS NOT ONLY TO CELEBRATE THE MIRACLE RECOVERY OF BABY MAX BUT TO THANK ALL THE PRAYER WARRIORS. HE CAME HOME THE SUNDAY BEFORE PALM SUNDAY! THANKS TO PATRICIA FOR GIVING US THAT WONDERFUL REPORT, AFTER ALL, BABY MAX STARTED THIS WHOLE PRAYER REQUEST SUNDAY!

Julie reports her Grandson Ben who is 10 and having unexplained seizures has been through a battery of tests and all the results conclude that the seizure was a one time occurrence and nothing can be found that would have caused the seizure. His only restriction is from driving...and since he's only 10 that won't be a problem! LOL!! Thanks Julie for injecting some humor to a somber subject. You're my kind of people!

and now...

I want to shout with Praise for an answered prayer in my life. I did not share it with you because it all happened so fast and typing it would have made it seem too real.. Forgive me...BUT...My second Mammogram came back free and clear!! I had gone in for my routine mammogram on March 27th. I never gave it a second thought because I've NEVER been called back in over 19 yrs. NO BIG DEAL!! Fast forward to the next week and I'm helping a friend put her quilt together in the church fellowship hall using the big tables when I get a call on my cell phone. The little technician told me my mammogram had cause for concern and the radiologist needed me to come in ASAP and have more tests run. I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach! My friend and I stopped and prayed right then and there. I was determined to go on with my day but I will tell you wasn't easy. I went in that Thursday for more "flatten and squish" pics under the influence of 1mg. Xanax. That stuff is like drinking a bottle of Boones Farm because I barely remember the Dr. telling me everything was OK>!! Thank goodness my husband was with me and doing the driving!! I just can't take that stuff(remember my episode flying to NC under the influence of Xanax??) The workers in the Charlotte Airport remember hauling some short fluffy lady to her gate because "she wasn't feeling so well". So...I'm Good To GO!! Whoop Whoop!!

I received several heartfelt responses from my post on Sunday about my Fibromyalgia. There are many of us in the quilting world who share our LOVE of Quilting/Stitching/Sewing along with our utter contempt for our little Fibro Friend. Can I get a Whoop Whoop???

Have you had NON Fibro sufferers give you advice on how to feel better? Well, I've got one for ya....right from the left side of my own pillow. Yes, I do mean #1 Husband has now decided that all I need is to drink some G2 Gatorade and I will be well!! Coming from a lifetime of football coaching it makes sense to him that my aches and pains are nothing any different from the leg cramps football players get in a game due to loss of electrolytes or lack of sufficient conditioning enough during practice or even from the heat!

Nothing would do but stop at the store after church Sunday and buy me some Gatorade, G2 which is the sugarfree (I'm also diabetic).

Well, now that I have your attention and you are waiting on baited breath to see if

#1 Husband has found the Fibro Cure..........

Just know that I'm still on the injured reserve list and won't be game ready

before FALL 2030!!! much less Game ready TODAY! The only thing that improvedwas the number of times I had to go to the bathroom from drinking all that gatorade!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Read to the bottom of this post for a Blog Hope Reminder which will be PAINLESS.

If any of you have FIBROMYALGIA/CHRONIC FATIGUE

or any other chronic pain illness then you understand when I say I'm having a Fibro Flare-Up or I'm in a Fibro Fog today.

Actually the last few days, the all over pain has gotten worse....thus, the reason why Prayer Request Sunday Post did NOT make it up in time.

I try not to make having Fibro the central issue of my life. For the most part, I don't suffer debilitating pain like some sufferers, but when I have a flare-up I KNOW IT!!!! If I allow myself to go to bed, I'll never get back up, so I try to keep moving, albeit, *hobbling along* would more accurately describe what I look like going about my day.

The sound track would sound something like this:

Ugh...moan...ouch...groan...oops... where did I put that?...creak...rattle...popping of joints trying to move...ringing in my ears...knuckles popping...knee popping...teeth grinding while sleeping...SNORING...

SOUND FAMILIAR????

I've tried most every "pill of the day" since 1987 when I was first diagnosed.

Most worked for awhile, didn't work at all, had too many bad side effects, or I needed higher doses to continue the pain relieving properties which made continuing the medication nonfeasible. Lyrica did NOT work for me contrary to those nice little commercials. I am however, glad that Lyrica has brought attention to Fibromyalgia and given some legitimacy to the chronic illness so many of us sufferers knew was real all the time long before the pharmaceutical companies got on the bandwagon.

By divine luck, I have found a doctor who "gets me" and has tried some out of the box thinking when it comes to Fibromyalgia. For the most part, I am able to fulfill my daily responsibilites without taking me away from too many family activities. The family knows, Mama, has fibromyalgia, but they still don't truly "get it" when I don't feel like participating or going somewhere, especially if I have just participated in some activity or gone somewhere recently. In their minds, like most NON-Fibro sufferers, if you went to Sally's party on Sat. why can't you come to Tom's party on Sunday? Why??? Because when you have Fibro, you never know from day to day how you will feel, or you can feel Ok all day until the bewitching hour of between 3-4.

They try but don't really understand that I put all my energy into functioning during the day and the thought of going "OUT" after supper is excruciating! I'm often accused of being a recluse or a homebody because running errands one day a week takes me 2-3 days of recovery. For me, I don't function well much after 4:00 p.m. One day of yardwork, can make it difficult to do housework for a week. With my limitations in mind, I have learned to pick and choose my activities and rate the consequences.

For me, Quilting/Stitching and it's rhythmic motion of needle, thread, and fabric has more pain relieving properties than can be bottled by any Pharmaceutical company in the world. It doesn't take away the pain...it just diverts my mind from dwelling on the pain...at least Most times. At those times when the pain in my hands is too intense, I get a calming effect from sitting in the comfy chair in my sewing cave/room, with a cup of tea/coffee (or Diet Pepsi! LOL!), a heating pad, a quilting magazine, new book on my new Kindle, a Bible devotion, or simply a quiet nap.

Just being in my sewing room brings comfort to me...that little 8x10 room has healing properties I tell ya!! It has all my "stuff", all the 'things" that bring me comfort. It can be quiet in there or rocking out with my favorite music. ...... Perhaps, even,a new episode of NCIS or Criminal Minds which sounds so weird when I'm talking about being calm. I never said it had to make sense. I just know how I feel!

SEW...

here's to a better day tomorrow and something that will surely make me and YOU feel better:

COFFEE MADNESS

Hand Stitching Never Goes Out Of Style! Celebrating All Things Needle and Thread

WE SUPPORT YOU

GRANDMAMA'S STORIES

May I Introduce Myself

I'm a retired educator of 30+ yrs., mother to 1 son and 2 daughters, "Grandmama" to 5 precious Grandpeeps, married 40 yrs.to my college sweetheart,and savoring every minute of my new stage in life as an empty nester and Retired Grandmother in Chief. I enjoy quilting, stitching, reading, DIY projects, front porch sitting, auctions, thrift stores, morning coffee, Diet Pepsi, tea cups, tea pots, pretty dishes, vintage kitchen linens, vintage sewing items, and family dinners with my party of 12. #1 husband is recently retired so we plan to spend lots of good times camping, yard sale-ing, going to auctions, and simply enjoying each other's company. Thank you Lord for saving me, blessing me, and making me a home in Heaven with you.
Jeremiah 29:11